BOOKPLATES 

BY 

EKEDERICK 

GARRISON 

HALL 


With  Text  By 
R.CLIPSTON 
STVRGIS 


JR 

C 


DUKE 

UNIVERSITY 


LIBRARY 


I 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016  with  funding  from 
Duke  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/bookplates01hall 


THE  BOOK-PLATES  OF 
FREDERICK  GARRISON  HALL 


1 


\ 


W66 


BOOK  PLATES 
BY 

FKEDEKICK 

GARRISON 

HALL 

VVitli  a Short  Text 

h 

R..CL1PSTON 
STVRGIS  JR 


SI 


THE 

TROVTSDALE  PRESS 
BOSTON 
MCMV 


ECORATIVE  design  in 
America  has  had  in  none  of 
its  branches  so  rapid  a devel- 
opment as  in  that  of  the  book- 
plate. Twenty-five  years  ago 
there  were,  in  this  country,  few  book-plates  that 
were  anything  more  than  coats-of-arms  or  labels. 
To-day  there  is  a large  and  increasing  production 
in  this  branch  of  design.  The  book-plate  no 
longer  necessarily  consists  of  a coat-of-arms  only ; 
more  usually  it  is  a small,  decorative  composition 
that  in  some  way  indicates  the  owner’s  individ- 
uality, or  else  is,  in  a general  way,  symbolic  of 
books  and  reading. 

Mr.  Hall’s  plates  have  a place  of  their  own 
among  the  foremost  produdions  of  the  day.  Both 
in  conception  and  in  execution  they  are  notable. 

It  is  pleasant  to  see  that  Mr.  Hall,  though 
largely  self  taught,  has  fortunately  little  or  nothing 


to  unlearn.  Though  we  do  see  in  his  work  a 
distind:  tinge  of  individuality,  it  is  evident  that 
his  efforts  have  been  directed  chiefly  toward  per- 
fecting his  means  of  expression.  As  Stevenson, 
in  another  form  of  art,using  language  as  a medium, 
for  years  studied  and  imitated  what  he  considered 
best  in  the  styles  of  the  great  writers,  so  Mr.  Hall 
has  confined  his  attention  to  those  masters  whose 
method  lends  itself  most  rapidly  to  drawings  of  a 
purely  decorative  character.  His  study  of  the  old 
designers  has  been  untiring;  in  the  light  of  their 
work  he  has  striven  for  a satisfactory  technique. 
In  his  more  recent  plates  we  can  see  the  begin- 
nings of  a style  distinctively  his  own,  one  that  is 
all  the  more  interesting  when  we  know  on  what 
foundation  it  is  built. 

His  subjects  are  largely  drawn  from  the  past; 
his  method  is  inspired  by  the  work  of  such  men  as 
Durer,  Van  Staar,  and  Rembrandt,  masters  of  pure 
line.  Yet  in  Mr.  Hall’s  best  work  one  may  trace 
results  of  the  study,  not  only  of  the  elder  engravers 
and  wood-cutters,  but  also  of  modern  draughtsmen. 

Turn  for  instance  to  the  Straus  plate.  The  effect 
is  that  of  a steel  engraving;  yet  in  the  rendering 
of  the  face  may  be  seen  the  influence  of  Mr. 


Maxfield  Parrish.  The  Roelvink  plate  shows  this 
combination  still  more  plainly.  The  handling  of 
the  figure  of  the  young  prince  is  distinctively 
modern,  but  the  treatment  of  the  walls,  especially 
that  of  the  corner  where  a lightening  of  the  tones 
is  effected  by  diamond  cross  hatching  with  broken 
lines,  takes  us  b^ick  to  the  sixteenth  century. 

The  Hooper  plate,  on  the  other  hand,  though 
it  lacks  some  of  the  mechanical  perfections  of  the 
two  mentioned  above,  will  doubtless  seem  to  many 
one  of  the  most  charming  in  the  collection.  Pure 
line  work  is  seldom  better  applied  to  pictorial 
decoration. 

The  plate  was  etched  by  Mr.  W.  H.  W.  Bick- 
well ; it  was  one  of  Mr.  Hall’s  earlier  productions, 
dating  from  about  the  same  time  as  the  Fuller 
plate,  engraved  by  Mr.  Spenceley.  The  composi- 
tion of  the  latter  is  especially  noteworthy.  The 
White  plate  is  perhaps  the  best  example  of  the 
command  of  a clean  steady  pen  line.  The  sky  is 
admirably  handled ; the  shading  of  the  sails  is  care- 
ful and  fitting.  The  natural  treatment  of  the 
water,  and  the  general  freedom  from  exaggeration, 
make  the  plate  a good  example  of  what  some  one 
has  called  “sane  decoration.” 


In  no  way  dependent  on  elaboration  for  their 
effect,  the  two  small  plates  (of  Walton  Atwater 
Green  and  Clement  Scott)  are  perfect  in  their  way. 
The  reproduction  of  the  latter  is  hardly  smaller 
than  the  original.  There  is  little  in  it;  a Venetian 
lamp  and  a scroll;  but  the  sense  of  composition 
and  harmony  is  excellent.  Mr.  Hall’s  plate  is 
interesting.  The  hand  is  his  own  and  the  H in 
its  complete  form  the  signature  that  he  has  lately 
adopted.  The  Allen  plate,  engraved  by  Mr. 
Spenceley,  shows  a happier  use  of  solid  blacks 
than,  lor  instance,  the  Straus  plate.  The  handling 
of  the  small  shields  and  the  decorations  at  the 
bottom  is  typical  in  delicacy  and  completeness. 

In  conclusion,  one  may  call  attention  to  the 
lettering  of  these  book-plates.  Few  laymen 
realize  that  lettering  is  something  more  than  a 
mechanical  process.  Those  who  have  tried  it, 
know  that  lettering  is  a difficult  art  in  itself. 
Mr.  Hall  has  developed  a thoroughly  good  style. 
The  inscriptions  of  the  White,  and  the  Chatman 
plates  may  be  taken  as  examples  of  his  best  work 
in  this  line. 

What  Mr.  Hall  may  ultimately  achieve  is,  of 
course,  a matter  of  conjecture.  But  one  may 


safely  say  that  if  the  normal  course  of  development 
holds  true  in  his  case,  his  future  work  is  destined 
to  occupy  no  secondary  place  in  the  field  of  Am- 
erican decorative  design. 


AMY 

IVYRS 

TRYESDELL 


4 


FREDERICK 

GARRISON 

HALLoseo 


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